Travel tips for first timers and road warriors

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Just-in-Case

You’re in Tuscany. It’s 2 a.m. That cold that was coming on has hit full force and you can’t breathe. Or dreaded diarrhea has struck, or a screaming headache, or bug bites, or…you get the idea. It’s time for Just-in-Case, an emergency supply of first aid products you have tucked in your suitcase.

Buy a zip-top, Velcro or zipper envelope-style vinyl or cloth case (4 x 5 inches or so). Pencil cases, makeup bags, document envelopes, plastic kitchen bags all work. Pack it with single dose packets you can buy at your local drug store or buy EZY Dose Pill Pouches (or similar drugstore brand), label and fill with pills. Some seasoned travelers insist that you carry all meds in their original RX or over-the-counter bottle, but my Pack Light method saves tons of space. And in decades of travel, not one of my pill pouches has been questioned or confiscated.

This is an emergency kit only and meant to get you through the night or till you can find a pharmacy, and this is in addition to your regular stash of prescription meds and vitamins. When illness strikes in the middle of the night, you’ll be glad you created your own Just-in-Case.